Jerald's Day Job
by Redishka
Summary: Jerald is your average happy-go-lucky Gotham citizen, with a less than average job. All he wants is a cleaner Gotham. A concrete haven in a mad world, but with a boss like his, anything is possible. OC's POV
1. Chapter 1:  A Wonderful Day

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

"Ugh," I moaned, sleepily opening my eyes. I turned over in my bed trying to ignore the piercing cry of the alarm, but sadly, the effort was in vain. I pulled my arm out from under my chest and flung it sloppily at the alarm clock. It fell to the floor in a crash, but it was to late; the damage had been done. I Jerald Kelvan, was awake.

Wearily I dragged myself up from my small bed and walked towards the door into the kitchen. I frantically searched the cabinets and found a box of "Little Her-o's". Yea it's a kid's cereal, but hey when a "grown-up cereal" company can produce a cereal with marshmallows I'll buy from them. I filled an empty bowl full, added some milk, and sat down at the table.

Reaching for the remote I turned on the television. The anchor man's voice filled the room. _"… and_ _at the increasing price of up to $4.09, it seems like we're going to see a lot more people 'riding the rails'. In other news the Batman has struck again with yet another act of proclaimed heroism-"_

I nearly choked through the spoonful of cereal. "The Batman" how could the people of Gotham think that he's helping. He'll need to try harder to convince me it's working. _"- Police found notorious drug runner Jonathan Doenun tied to a lamppost, in the narrows district. Clear signs indicate the Batman's involvement, but a statement is yet to be made by the police. We'll continue more with this story at the top of the hour. And in politics, it seems like congressman David -"_

I turned the television off; no need for it to dampen a perfectly good morning. After a quick shower, I put on my suit and walked out the door. The six flights of stairs didn't even phase me. I briskly walked through the apartment lobby and waved to the doorman. "Morning Jerald!" "Good morning Winston!" I replied.

The morning seemed ever so bright today. Even through Gotham's towering skyscrapers, it seemed like the whole world was lit up. "A nice day for a bit of walking." I observed. I strolled down the street on my way to work, knowing today was going to be great. I turned at the corner of Spruce and Cypress, eager to get to the office.

I always liked walking down Cypress, as it was a bustling market street. People laughing and talking, and the bakeries filling the streets with aromas, were especially delightful. There was even an ice-cream shop in the middle of the street! I began my stroll past the shop, and I noticed a child cringing. "Hey," I asked "are you ok there kid?" Tearfully he looked up at me, and I sensed the disappointment on his face. "My ice- my ice-cream…." he moaned. Sure enough he was holding a barren cone, and staning on what appeared to be a melting pink snowball. I smiled and reach into my pocket and pulled out a couple of bucks. "Here you go kid," I said, handing him the money "go get yourself another one." His face instantly lit up, and he threw his arms around my legs. "Thanks mister!" he exclaimed "You're the best!" Then, taking the money, he ran at full speed back into the parlor. I chuckled silently, and moved on.

While uneventful, the rest of the walk to work was fairly relaxing. Down streets and boulevards I wove, making my way to the factory. In no time I arrived at the gates. The sunlight seemed to pierce the grim covered walls which gave the place a sense of wonder that seems to often be over looked. After pausing for a moment to observe the beauty, I decided to go on inside.

Up to the stoop of the main doors I marched, eager to start the day. I turned to the dirty white intercom box on the wall of the door and pushed the button. *BZZZZZZ* "_Hello?"_ Came the crackly voice from the intercom. "Hello," I called back. "This is-" I was interrupted by the doors flying open and nearly smacking me in the face. "Jerald! Oh of course that's you! I'd know you anywhere!"

I gazed up at the tall figure that almost knocked me over. There he stood tall in his flaring suit. His hair was slicked back, and his shining pale white face was shining in the sunlight. The Clown Prince of Crime, The Chaplain of Chicanery, The Monstrous Montabank; The Joker himself.

"Good morning boss." I said cheerfully. He smiled (as usual), and put his arm around my shoulder. "Come on in Jerald," he said as he led me inside "I've got some brand new ideas that your just absolutely going to love! We've got a lot of work to do!" And with that we turned an walked inside. I was eager to start the day.


	2. Chapter 2: Corporate Meeting

A/N- Sorry I haven't updated in awhile... A fried motherboard tends to do that.

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><p>"You know, you really should consider moving here Jerald." smiled the Joker enthusiastically, "We've got plenty of room upstairs, much bigger than that dreary apartment."<p>

I smiled politely, "I like my apartment though. Plus relocating would be a pain-" I started, but was interrupted by the Joker saying "Yes yes of course. Don't want to mix your work with your personal life now do we?"

We strolled through the large room past broken machines and dusted equipment to the narrow doors at the end of the room. As we passed under the faded "Office" sign, we heard a shrill voice. "Heyay boys!"

I nodded briefly, "Miss Quinn".

"Oh Jerald," she replied, "you know you don't have to be all formal around me. You've been here longer than any other employee, you're practically Mr. J number two."

"Careful now Harley!" exclaimed the Joker. "Don't go replacing me now." The Joker laughed at his own cleverness, to which Harley replied, "I would never do that puddin. You'll always be number one to me!"

The Joker grinned and said "Good. Now then we have some very important matters to discuss." He turned to me and said, "Jerald, meet your new co-workers!" as he pointed to three giant men across the room. I looked at them curiously and did a little wave.

"Hello," I said warmly.

The men didn't even flinch, they simply stood there and glared at me. Turning to them, The Joker exclaimed, "Ok you've shown your pretty faces, now GET BACK TO WORK!" As they scampered away, The Joker let out a sinister cackle.

Eager to know what he was planning, I quietly said, "Uh, boss, what's th-"

"Oh the plan!" the Joker interrupted, "Quite right you are Jerald, quite right! So here it is, my brilliant plan!" He crouched down as if it were a surprise, and me and Harley leaned in closely to hear it. The suspense was killing me. I couldn't bear the wait. It was so-**SPLASH**. Cold water sprang from the flower on the Joker's lapel, and burst into my face.

"HE HE HE HA HA!" the Joker jumped up and burst into laughter. I wiped the water from my eyes as Harley (through smeared makeup) clapped and said, "Wonderful joke Puddin! Well done!"

The Joker bowed, "Thank you! Thank you! It was good, wasn't it?" The Joker hurried across the room to a cushioned chair behind a desk. As he sat down mimicking a formal voice saying "All right now to the serious business."

I walked over to the chair in front of the desk, and sat down as Harley plopped right on the desk itself, and began filing her nails. "Ok you two," began the Joker, "listen up!"

"If you've been watching the news, you'll have noticed that has run into a little… bat problem," the Joker grinned. "But what you might not have known is that Jonathan Doenun is a leading dealer for our good friend Harvey Dent's little operations." The news stuck me as a little surprising, but not something to get over excited about.

"So…" I began.

"So?" the Joker mimicked, "So we have be gifted with a rare opportunity. Remember what I promised you Jerald, when you first came here? A chance to finally clean up the streets? Well now you're standing on the chance of a lifetime. You can once and for all be rid of Gothem's very own Harvey Dent."

I paused for a moment. According to the Joker, Harvey had been running drug operations around the narrows for the past six months, and this might be the first chance to get him off the streets. I said slowly, "So what would I need to do?"

The Joker grinned widely at my eagerness. "Oh don't worry Jerald! I'm well aware that you're not into the whole aspects of murder, mayhem, and other fun things. You're job is quite simple." He turned his gaze towards Harley who was still filling her nails. "HARLEY!" he shouted, as she sprang off the table, "be a dear, and fetch Jerald's box, please." She did a small salute saying "Yes sir, Mr J.!" and she cart-wheeled across the room (a bit of a showoff) and picked up a large box, which she then struggled to carry across the room. Upon approaching the desk she plopped it down and said, "Here you go Jerald."

I slowly opened the box and peered inside. Inside there appeared to be mangled recording equipment.

"So what do you want me to do with this?" I asked looking up at the Joker.

He smiled and said "I want you take these nine little bugs and put them in each of Harvey's stores. It's easy!"

"Stores?" I asked.

"Vacant apartment buildings, three of them." the Joker replied. "Harvey uses them to store his drugs."

"And rememba' they'll be guarded!" Harley chimed in.

The Joker frowned, "Oh only two or three guards. Thirty at most!" The Joker grinned again, "But you'll get in alright Jerald, you got one of those faces!"

I chuckled lightly, "Well I don't know about that.."

"JERALD!" the Joker insisted, "You've got to trust me. After all, who's the most stupendous of planners with a comical flair?"

I grinned slyly, "Commissioner Gordon?" Harley looked stunned. The Joker's eyes flared "GORDON!" he screamed, jumping over the desk, "THAT STUBBORN, GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A- HA HA HA!" the Joker burst into laughter. Wiping a tear from his eye, he put his arm on my shoulder. "Ah you've got a good head on your shoulders Jerald, let's hope you keep it that way…"

The Joker walked back around the desk to his chair. "Anyway," he began, "you just put those bugs where Harvey's men can't see them. OK?"

"But what will that accomplish?" I asked.

"Simple! We'll listen in on the guards, figure out their rotation pattern, then when their in mid swap, we'll swipe the drugs right out from under Harvey's nose. Maybe that will lure him from his safe house."

I smiled politely, "I guess it's worth a shot" the Joker grinned excitedly, "That's the spirit!" He pushed the box into my lap. "Now get to it!"

I picked up the box and stood up. "Boss. Miss Quinn." I nodded to each of them, and turned to leave.

"Oh and Jerald!" the Joker called. "Make sure to watch the skies in the narrows. Nasty bat problems their having…"

I grinned, slightly nervous, and walked out the door. As I walked towards the factory doors, I stared down at the box of equipment. Not exactly how I planned to spend my time, but there's no reason that work should spoil a good day. I burst through the front doors and took off down the street, whistling _Beautiful Gothen Hights_. . I knew a great little coffee shop on the way to the narrows.


	3. Chapter: Coffee Break

A/N- Yeah, I know it's short, but it is what it is.

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><p>9 Hours Earlier,<p>

The wind was chilled atop the Gotham police station roof. A swift breeze from the north had brought delivered it's numbing embrace, and with only the promise of a sunny tomorrow, it lingered. But still it was on this rooftop that Commissioner Gordon stood.

The man was holding what seemed to be a cup of coffee near his chest. He slowly moved the mug towards his nose, whereupon the steam fogged his glasses. Inhaling the smell deeply (ruffling his mustache) he paused, and held the mug directly out to his side. His arm extended, he then said abruptly, "It's decafe."

The Batman stepped from the shadows behind him and muttered, "With a night like you've been having, I'm surprised it does the trick."

Gordon turned towards him and shrugged, "Well, it's my wife's new diet plan, so what can you do?" He looked up at the Batman, "Of course you haven't helped much."

The Batman silently mumbled, "Sorry to disappoint."

"Not surprisingly, I had just lied down in bed when I got the call, 'Doenun, yea Harvey's boy. He's strung up on a Lamppost in Southern Narrows'. I don't suppose you could've waited till morning?"

"It couldn't wait." Batman interrupted. "They were moving a new shipment."

"Yea," Gordon responded, "We found the trucks. Filled with heroine, and goons with broken ribcages." The commissioner paused in thought for a moment, and looked down frowning.

"Something troubling you, Jim?" Batman asked.

"Let me ask you something, did you have any trouble taking down Doenun from any other gangs?"

"No." the Batman replied.

"Hmmm…" Gordon looked up. "It all seems a bit too-"

"Quiet." the Batman interrupted. "Well a shipment like that, you'd think you'd have some sort of opposition."

"You suspecting another gang?" the Batman inquired.

"Well," Gordon turned and looked off the rooftop in the direction of the narrows as if to map out the location in his head. "Cobblepot, owns the area to the north around the cannals." Gordon thought aloud. "A shipment like that, lots of money, rival powerhouse, and access to the canals; it just seems like it's too quiet."

"I've already considered that," The Batman assured.

"So you don't think something's up?" Gordon asked.

"I don't think it's Cobblepot."

Gordon turned around, "If not him then who?" The Batman remained silent, but Gordon understood. "The Clown?" Gordon exclaimed. "I don't see how."

"Me neither," replied the Batman, "least not yet. But I'm going to find out."

"Good luck with that," Gordon turned back around looking off the roof. "Nine months out of Arkham and we haven't seen hide or hair of him. If he is involved-"

"Then I'll stop him." assured Batman.

"Really," Gordon turned and asked, "And just how are you going to that?" The vacant roof gave no reply.


End file.
